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4 Results for Health Topics

4.5 Mental health and psychosocial support

4.5.1 Mental health and psychosocial support

The earliest identified study that met the inclusion criteria was from 1997 and the number of studies has increased steadily since then (Figure 18).

Twenty-one studies were with populations affected by natural disasters (earthquakes (N=11), Tsunami (N=8), floods (N=2)). Forty studies were with populations affected by armed conflict (5 with refugees, 8 with IDPs, and 27 with general populations). Of these 40 studies, 10 were in the acute crisis stage and the remainder in more stable and early recovery stages.

Of the 61 studies, 10 were in urban settings, 11 in rural settings, 29 in both urban and rural, and 11 in refugee/IDP camp settings.

Twenty-nine of the studies were with adults and 32 with children and adolescents.

There is some indication that quality may have improved over the past four years or so (Figure 18).

Twenty two of the studies were controlled before/after studies, 19 non-randomised trials, and 19 randomised control trails. One of the studies examined cost data.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) was the most common outcome measured, followed by depression, non condition specific ‘general mental health’ and then functioning (Figure 19). There were no studies on more severe conditions or on addiction and substance misuse.

Sixteen main types of interventions were evaluated in the studies (Figure 20). The most common interventions were school-based psychosocial interventions (N=11), cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) (N=10), psychotherapy (N=10) and psychosocial (N=7). Seventeen studies included more than one main type of intervention.

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